Cases & Developments

Opinion and Order Granting in Part Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss. Plaintiff, a former student at Ohio State University, sued the president of the university and several university police officers asserting claims for false arrest and malicious prosecution under Ohio law and the Fourth Amendment, First Amendment retaliatory arrest, and a First Amendment claim challenging the University Space Rules (USR), after he was arrested on campus for criminal trespass while filming during a protest. The court dismissed the majority of plaintiff’s claims including (1) any claims to the extent they sought injunctive or declaratory relief, holding plaintiff failed to allege an ongoing or threat of future injury sufficient for Article III standing; (2) claims against the defendants in their official capacities; (3) state law claims for false arrest and malicious prosecution against defendants, holding the court lacked jurisdiction; and (4) § 1983 claims against the university president in his individual capacity, holding he lacked the requisite personal involvement in the alleged unconstitutional conduct necessary to be held liable. However, the court denied the motion to dismiss with respect to three claims against three university police officers, including plaintiff’s as-applied First Amendment challenge to the USR, noting, in part, that defendants provided no basis to find that plaintiff’s filming of the university police did not enjoy First Amendment protection.